Nightmare on Route Thirty
by ChristyK
Summary: The brothers take refuge in a diner during a bad storm....but maybe they should have just kept on driving....
1. Chapter 1

Not sure if anyone will like this one. I started it thinking I knew where I was going with it but then I kinda got lost and ended up just making things up as I went…… I won't be around for a few days so I'll post the next chapter next Thursday if anyone cares.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

The brothers were feeling pretty good as they drove down the back country road. They had just finished cleansing a house of a particularly nasty spirit and they had escaped relatively unharmed. They had the usual cuts and bruises but nothing that a day or two's rest wouldn't clear up. The only bad thing was the weather. For the last two hours the rain had been coming down so hard that it actually hurt when it hit you and the wind was impossible to stand upright in. They hadn't been listening to the weather forecast and figured they must have driven right into a mini hurricane. When branches and entire trees began to snap in front of them they knew they had to find shelter.

"I can't believe it." Dean said as he leaned on the steering wheel and peered up through the front windshield as he looked up at the sky. "We took care of that spirit with no problem and now this."

"Can't change the weather."

"Guess we're going to have to find some place to ride it out in." Dean looked out at the deserted road and knew it would be almost next to impossible to find a place that wasn't already boarded up. He figured if they had to they'd break into one of the house then when the storm was over they'd leave some money to repair the damages they might have caused. "Look at that." Dean said in disbelief as they passed a graveyard whose nearby creek had flooded and washed away the dirt from some of the graves. "Looks like the storm flooded out some of the graves." Dean said to Sam as he looked at some of the opened coffins that lay on top of the mud.

"That's almost impossible. How can coffins wash out of their vaults?"

"Maybe they're old graves. Years ago they didn't use vaults."

When a large tree fell and narrowly missed them Dean looked over at his brother.

"The storms getting worse, we need to find a place to stay."

"There was a diner about a mile back."

"They're open?"

"It was dark but it wasn't completely boarded up yet, and I thought I saw candles flickering when we drove by."

"I guess it's as good a place as any." Dean said as he carefully turned the car around on the narrow road and headed back toward the diner.

**Stetson's Diner**

Dean pulled the Impala behind the diner hoping the diner would protect it from any debris that might blow down the street. Together he and Sam made their way to the front of the diner. Just before they were about to knock on the door Sam remembered his lap top and turned back to get it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean shouted above the howling wind as he grabbed his brother's arm.

"I forgot my computer."He didn't want to leave it in the car incase the car was damaged by the storm and started to leak. Dean waited under the porch to the diner while Sam returned to the car. A minute later Sam started back to Dean with the computer tucked safely under his jacket while the wind tried its best to knock him down. He had almost reached his brother when a loud bang cut through the raging wind. Dean looked around wondering if maybe a transformer in one of the nearby telephone poles had blown out but nothing seemed to be sparking. He then looked back at his brother just in time to see the shocked look on Sam's face as he fell to the asphalt.

"Sam!" Dean shouted as he ran to his brother's aid.

"Dean…." Sam said as he reached up and grabbed Dean's arm.

"What happened?" Dean asked as he ran his hands over his brother's body looking for any sign of injury. "Did something hit you?" There was debris blowing all over the area and Dean knew being hit by some of the stuff that blew by could cause serious damage or even kill you if it hit you in the right place.

"Yeah….yeah I think so." Sam said as he tried to catch his breath, he felt like he had been kicked in the side by a mule.

"Come on." Dean reached down and pulled Sam up then put his brother's arm over his shoulder and helped him back to the diner's porch. He then proceeded to kick the door with his foot. "Anyone in there?" He shouted as loud as he could.

At first no one answered so Dean kicked even harder, maybe they couldn't hear him above the loud wind and rain.

Finally the door flew open and two men holding rifles stood blocking the entrance way.

"My brother's been hurt." Dean said as he tried to push his way in but the men wouldn't budge, instead they pointed their guns at Dean's head. Dean looked up into their eyes and could tell the men were ready to shoot at any moment but a woman's voice behind him stopped them.

"He's not one of them, can't you tell…he's talking. Those things don't talk." Rita, the head waitress spoke up.

"We don't have room for you." Earl told Dean as he kept his rifle trained on Dean while the other man slowly lowered his.

"My brother's been hurt."

"Well then take him to the hospital."

"Trees are down all over the place, I can't get through."

"I told you, you're not coming in."

"This is the only place around that isn't boarded up."

"It will be shortly."

"Look I don't know what's going on here but I'm coming in." Dean had no idea what had hit Sam but he could tell his brother was in pain and needed to get out of the storm. He pushed the man's rifle aside with his free arm then forced his way in. When Earl started to object Rita grabbed his rifle by the barrel.

"Let him in."

Dean nodded a thank you to the woman then helped Sam over to one of the booths.

"Let me take a look." Dean said as he raised Sam's jacket. He recoiled slightly when he saw that Sam's shirt was soaked in blood. "What the hell hit you?" He asked as he gently lifted up the bloody shirt. He recognized the type of wound immediately. "You've been shot!"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter two

"What? Why?" Sam tried to look down at his side but Dean's hands were in the way as he put pressure on the wound to try to slow the bleeding.

"You've been shot Sammy." Dean looked over at Rita. "I need a clean table cloth or something clean to use as a bandage."

Rita went over to a supply closet and returned with a clean white tablecloth.

"How bad is it?" She asked as she looked down at Sam's wound.

"I can't tell but I think the bullet is still in there." Dean said as he gently checked Sam's back for an exit wound. "Could you get me some soap and water?"

Rita disappeared for a few seconds then returned from the kitchen with a bowl of hot water and soap. Dean then gently cleaned the wound and wrapped strips of the tablecloth around Sam's stomach to cover it. Once his brother was taken care of, as well as he could for the moment, he looked around the room. Who had shot his brother? His eyes immediately went to Earl who stood still holding his rifle which now was pointed at the floor as were his eyes. Dean walked over to him and put his hand on the barrel of the rifle….it was warm.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean ripped the rifle out of Earl's hands.

"I thought he was one of them." Earl tried to explain as he backed up.

"One of who?" Dean asked as he looked around the room at the customers who sat in their booths all with fear written clearly on their faces. "What the hell's going on here?" He asked as he looked over at Rita.

"You didn't see them?"

"See who?"

"Those things out there."

"What things?"

Rick, the man standing next to Earl stepped forward.

"Those people…. It's just like the movie Night of the Living Dead. Those things are all over the place."

Dean walked over to a window and peeked out from behind a curtain but saw nothing.

"We're lucky that Earl and Rick had been out deer hunting and stopped because of the storm, otherwise we wouldn't have any weapons." The cook said as he too looked out the window.

"So you can shoot them, and it kills them?"

"I don't know if it kills them but it scares them off." Rick told Dean. "We've been shooting them in the head….. just like in the movies." Rick added proudly.

Dean glanced over at Sam who shook his head in disbelief thinking the same thing Dean was…..the open coffins back at the graveyard could mean only one thing….zombies. They had heard of zombies before from other hunters but had never run into any themselves. If it was true, and there really were zombies out there, they were in big trouble. One of the things known to kill a zombie was a silver bullet to its heads, not just a shot in the head like in the movies but a silver bullet, and right now that's what they were lacking. Regular bullets might render them unconscious for a short time but it wouldn't kill them. The only other known way to kill them was to find the person who created them, most likely someone with a Haitian background, by killing the creator the zombies would die with her or him which ever the case may be. Unfortunately they had run out of their supply of silver bullets two days ago and were on their way to Bobby's to get more plus other supplies that they were running low on. Dean pulled out his cell phone, he didn't want to drag Sam back into the storm to go to Bobby's , and he didn't want to leave Sam alone there while he went, but maybe Bobby could come to them. He was just about to punch in Bobby's number when Rita walked over and put her hand on his arm.

"Don't bother….there's no cell phone signal out here."

"What about a land line?"

"Not working, the storm must have blown the wires down."

Feeling that Earl was no longer a threat and that he might actually need the gun Dean put it on a table near him then walked back to Sam.

"Can you believe it….first this storm, now zombies?"

"Well at least if they aim for their heads it'll slow them down for awhile."

"Till their ammunition runs out….and ours."

"What we need to do right now is get this place boarded up as tight as possible." Sam started to get up but Dean put his hand on his shoulder.

"What you need to do is rest." Dean knew Sam needed to get to a hospital but he also knew he couldn't risk taking Sam out into the storm, the worse thing would be for them to get stuck in the car in the middle of nowhere.

"I can help."

"Sam the bullet is still in you, if you move around it's going to move too and it's going to cause more damage."

"I still can…"

"Rest." Dean cut him off. Sam knew better then to argue with his brother, all that would do would waste time and time was something they didn't have. Sam sat back down, his hand tight against the wound in his side. Dean looked over at Rita. "Do you have any booze?"

"Sorry son but this isn't the time to be drinking." Rita scolded him.

"It's not for me it's for my brother." Dean knew Sam was probably still in shock from being shot and once the shock wore off the pain would come.

Rita reached under a counter then handed Dean a bottle of whiskey which he handed to Sam.

"Go easy on this." Dean needed Sam mentally alert, but he also knew alcohol was the only thing they had to deaden the pain.

Dean had the other men grab everything they could that wasn't nailed down and start to board the windows up the best they could. While they were working he peeked out the back window and could see his car. He knew he had to get to it and bring in the few supplies they had. He checked out the area around his car and couldn't see anything other then debris blowing through the back parking lot. He told one of the men to keep an eye out as he opened the door and prepared to make a run for his car. He glanced back at Sam who was watching the men in the front board up the windows. He was glad he wasn't watching him because he knew his brother would try to stop him when he saw he was about to go outside. Dean pulled his jacket up over his head to try and stay dry then opened the back door. He made a quick dash to his car and opened the trunk then grabbed a first aide kit and some weapons including a machete. He figured if the zombies manage to get close enough he could lop off their heads, it wouldn't kill them but at least without their heads they wouldn't be able to see. He slammed the trunk lid down and turned around just in time to see three strange looking men walk out of the bushes next to his car….Zombies…..

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter three

Dean's arms were full as he backed away from the car. He knew the people at the diner needed everything he had and he wasn't about to let some zombie make him drop it. He tried to reach for his gun but it was impossible unless he dropped what he had in his arms. He glanced to his left and saw that two more zombies were slowly making their way toward him, successfully blocking his way back to the diner. He decided he wasn't about to let them make him drop his supplies so he decided to try and run right through them. He knew they didn't move fast and hopefully he could run right through them without any problem. He ran toward them and as he passed them he could feel them grabbing at his clothes and just when he thought he might have made a mistake he heard five rapid fired shots and watched as each of the zombies was struck in the head. They all fell to the ground and lay their motionless, but Dean knew it was only a matter of time before they were back on their feet. He continued toward the door and now could see Sam leaning against the door holding it open, a rifle in his hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going out?" Sam asked as he shut the door behind Dean.

"I figured I'd be back before you even missed me." Dean peeked out through the curtains and could see that other zombies now surrounded his car.

"Do you know what would have happened if one of those things bit you?"

"Yeah…I know." Dean looked back at Sam and could see that he had started to bleed through the bandages. "Damn it Sammy I told you to rest."

"I was too busy saving your butt."

"I had it all under control." Dean said as he led Sam to one of the booths and helped him sit down.

"Yeah it sure looked like it." Sam gave a little smile and then his expression turned serious.

"What the hell's going on here Dean?"

"I wish I knew. Zombies can only come from someone practicing voodoo, at least that's what Dad's journal said." Dean gently unwrapped Sam's bandages then wiped the wound with the antibiotic ointment he had in their first aide kit. He winced in sympathy when Sam pulled away from him when the pain became unbearable. "Sorry Sam but I need to keep this clean." He knew his brother needed to see a doctor but there was no way to get him to one, not with the zombies surrounding their car, and not with the storm raging outside.

"I know….it's okay." Sam tried to hide his pain as dean rewrapped a clean bandage around the wound.

"You know what the weird thing is?"

"What?"

"The weird thing is we didn't see any zombies out on the road until we came in here. And the ones that are here seem to be hanging around the diner and don't seem to want to leave the parking lot."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm thinking that they're after someone in here. Who ever created them must be pissed off at someone here in the diner and they sent their zombies to do their dirty work." Dean once more peeked out through the curtain and could see that most of the zombies were standing around watching the diner; even the ones who had been shot in the head rose then stood and faced the diner.

"But who?" Sam asked as the brothers looked around at the customers. There was a family of five who looked scared to death but innocent enough, then five men including Earl and Rick, then two women, and then Rita the waitress.

"Let's see if we can find out how this all started." Dean said quietly to Sam, he then turned to the patrons of the diner. "Can anyone tell me when this first started happening?"

"About an hour ago." Rick spoke up.

"We stopped here to get out of the storm and were just sitting here having a burger and all of a sudden one of those things tried to come in the door."

Rita walked over.

"And if Earl and Rick hadn't gone back to their car for their rifles who knows what might have happened."

"Everybody else was already here?"

"Yeah."

"This may sound strange….but is there anyone around town that has Haitian blood?"

"Haitian blood? What the hell does that matter?" Earl asked.

"It matters because those things out there are usually created by someone with knowledge of Haitian voodoo. More then likely there's a curse on one of you in here and that's why those things are out there."

"How the hell do you know that?" Earl looked around at the other people in the restaurant. "Those things showed up right before they did." Earl pointed to Dean and Sam then looked back at Dean. "How do we know you're not the reason they're here?" Earl walked toward the brothers. "Who are you two anyway?"

When Earl got too close to Sam, Dean stepped between them. This man had hurt his brother once and there was no way he was going to hurt him again.

"That's none of your business, but if you get any closer to my brother I'm going to forget that you shot him accidently."

Earl gave a little mocking laugh and was about to take a step closer till he got a good look at Dean's face and knew he wasn't kidding.

"Are you threatening me?" Earl asked as he gripped his rifle tighter.

"Just stating a fact." Dean said glaring at the man. He actually hoped Earl would make a move; he'd like nothing more then to jam his rifle down his throat for hurting his brother.

Earl turned and looked back at the others.

"We never had anything happen like this before. Don't you think it's funny that those things showed up right before those two did?"

Dean watched as every eye in the house turned to look at him and his brother suspiciously.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

The site for some reason wouldn't let me thank anyone personally for leaving a review so I'll have to thank you here. Thanks, I appreciate the reviews and I hope you like the rest of the story.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter four

Dean took a few steps toward Earl.

"Listen you bastard…. We were just passing through town and had no plans on stopping here and certainly no plans in getting involved in your little zombiefest."

"Well then how do you know so much about them?" Mike, the man with the family asked.

"I read a lot." Dean glanced over at Mike but then quickly turned his eyes back to Earl. He didn't like the guy, not just because he shot his brother, but because he was trying to turn the others against them.

"I say we throw these guys out of here." Earl once more looked around at the others. "This was a quiet peaceful town until those things showed up, and right after that these two showed up. I have a feeling that once they're gone those things will go too."

"We'd like nothing more then to be on our way, but because of you my brother's in no condition to travel."

"Well maybe I can fix that." Earl started to raise his rifle. "Maybe I can put him out of his misery, then you can get the hell out of here."

"You bring that rifle up one more inch and I'll wrap it around your throat!" Dean glared at the man as he clenched his fists. If the man made one move toward Sam he knew he'd kill him. A soft touch on his arm and Rita's soft voice diffused the situation.

"Your brother needs you….he's bleeding again."

Dean's attention was immediately drawn back to Sam. He turned around and could see Sam pressing his hand over his wound; Dean could see blood trickling through his brother's fingers. He quickly walked over to him.

"Damn it!" He muttered to himself as he gently took off the bandage and examined Sam's wound.

"I'm sorry." Sam knew his brother had more important things to worry about then him.

"It's not your fault Sam …. If that jerk hadn't shot you…."

"He was just scared Dean….just scared." Sam said trying to calm his brother down.

Dean knew that was true, people acted totally different went put in a life threatening position. He understood that the man was scared and would have just let it ride but when he started threatening his brother….well that was a different story.

Dean swallowed hard as he examined Sam's wound. He knew Sam needed to be in the hospital but with the storm raging outside and trees falling down all over the roads he knew that was impossible. There was only one thing he could do….he'd have to get the bullet out himself. Throughout the years they both had taken bullets out of each other when no doctor was available with good results. Dean prayed this would be no different. He knew if the bullet had hit or gone through an organ Sam might die without a doctor's help but he had no choice, his brother was bleeding badly and the only way to stop it was to get the bullet out and stitch up the wound. Sam already knew what his brother was thinking; when Dean looked up at him he could see the worry in his eyes.

"Just get it over with."

"Sam…."

"I know." No words needed to be spoken. Sam knew Dean was worried that he'd do more harm then good, but there was no choice, the bullet had to come out or he'd bleed to death.

"What if I make it worse? What if….." Dean couldn't bring himself to ask the question ' What if you die because of me? '

"Dean if you don't do it I'm going to bleed to death… You really don't have a choice in this." Sam tried to give his brother a reassuring smile, but in truth he was scared to death. He was already feeling weak from the blood loss but didn't want to worry his brother anymore then he already was.

"Let's get you to a clean table." Dean helped Sam stand up and walked him over to a cleaner table.

Dean then asked Rita to bring them a clean white tablecloth and a clean towel. He spread the tablecloth out on the table then helped Sam take his shirt off and helped him up onto the table. Dean picked up their first aide kit and opened it. He looked at the various instruments inside and took out the ones he would be using. He then poured disinfectant over them to sterilize them. He handed Sam a bottle of whiskey and told him to take a few gulps of it to help ease the pain. When Sam handed the bottle back to him he took a gulp also to try to steady his nerves. He then washed the wound with the hot soapy water and poured a bottle of antibiotics over it, he then looked down at his brother.

"Sam… I don't need to tell you this is going to hurt like hell." He said as he handed his brother the towel to put in his mouth so he had something to bite down on when the pain got too bad.

"Just get it over with …. and Dean….if something happens I don't want you blaming yourself. There's nothing else you could have done."

Dean nodded; he didn't want Sam to see how nervous he was. What if something went wrong? What if he ended up killing his brother? He knew he couldn't live with himself if that happened, but he knew he had no choice…. He had to get the bullet out or his brother was going to bleed to death. He looked over at the other patrons in the diner.

"I need two men to hold him down."

At first no one volunteered but after a few seconds, Rick and Mike walked over. Rick took hold of Sam's feet, and Mike stood behind Sam's head then reached over and held both of Sam's arms down at his side.

"Hold him tight; try not to let him move." Dean told the men as he stuck a pointed probe into Sam's wound to try and locate the exact location of the bullet.

Sam hissed in his breath as an agonizing sharp pain shot through him. After a few seconds of probing Dean felt the hard bullet about two inches into Sam's side. He removed the probe as gently as he could then picked up a pair of tiny tongs. He took a deep breath then knowing he had no choice inserted the tongs into Sam's wound.

Sam's back arched in pain but his scream was muffled by the towel in his mouth. A few seconds later his body went limp.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews. The site still won't let me go into the reviews to thank you personally for taking the time to review. Is anyone else having this problem? Anyway….thanks.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter five

"You killed him!" Mike's eyes widened as he looked down at the still form of Sam.

"No, no he just passed out." Dean was glad at least now Sam wouldn't feel the pain. He gently pushed the tongs into the wound till he felt it hit the hard piece of metal he was looking for. He then carefully released his grip till the tongs opened up wide enough so that it could surround the bullet, then gripping it tightly once more; he slowly pulled the bullet out. Once out he examined the bullet to make sure pieces of it hadn't broken off inside of Sam. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the bullet appeared to be whole. Now he just had to hope that the bullet hadn't nicked anything vital.

"You can let go of him now." Dean told the two men who still were holding Sam down. Dean then poured antibiotics over the wound then stitched it closed. He then took bandages out of the first aide kit and dressed the wound. Finally he could sit back, glad it was over with, but his relief turned to worry when he saw a few beads of sweat on Sam's face. He placed his hand on his brother's forehead and could tell he had developed a slight fever; he could only pray it didn't turn into a raging one because there was nothing he could do or give him if it did.

Dean walked over to one of the boarded up windows and looked through a crack, he could see the zombies walking around outside the diner. Neither the pouring rain nor the gusty winds seemed to have any kind of effect on them. The parking lot was a short distance away, but still far enough away that if they tried to make a run for it someone would definitely get taken down by one of the zombies before they could reach their cars. So at least for now making a break for the cars wasn't an option, but it might end up being an option if they didn't have anyway to fight them. With no silver bullets to kill them there was no way to stop them permanently unless the person who summoned them could be found and killed. The only thing else they could do was try to find anything silver in the diner and melt it down to make bullets, but that needed extreme heat and would take too much time, time they didn't have. Dean looked around at the people in the diner, he was certain that one of them was the reason for the zombies being there, but who? Dean walked over to his weapons bag and opened it up on a table next to Sam. He then began going through the weapons. He took out two guns plus a machete. He knew the guns, without silver bullets, would only stop the zombies for a short time but the machete, even though it wouldn't kill the zombies, would at least decapitate them making it impossible for them to find their victims. It the zombies got close, it would have to be the weapon of choice.

Earl watched from a few booths away still keeping a tight grip on his rifle. Who were these men and why did they carry a bag of weapons with them? He finally walked over but made sure he kept a few booths in between them.

"What the hell's going on?"

Dean glanced at Earl but then turned his attention back to making sure the guns were loaded and ready.

"I asked you a question." Earl said trying to sound brave in front of the other patrons.

"Like I said before that's none of your business."

"Well it seems funny to me that you showed up right after those things did, and now you're sitting there with all those weapons…. It seems to me that you already knew about those things out there because why else would you have all those weapons on you?"

Dean slammed his gun down onto the table; he had had enough of Earl.

"Listen buddy, if you want to go one on one with me then come on, let's get it on. But right now I think we need to be more concerned with those things out there then having a damn pissing contest."

Earl glanced around at the other people in the diner trying to figure out whose side they were on. He knew all of the people; they were from his town, so he figured they'd side with him. He turned back to Dean determined to take him on; he had after all a reputation around town as a man who didn't back down, but when he saw the look in Dean's eyes he hesitated. There was something about the look in the man's eyes that he had never seen before. Every man he ever confronted had backed down from him but this man held his eyes as if just waiting for him to start something. He glanced over at the man's brother who still lay silent on the table , he had shot this man's brother and he could tell the man was just waiting for an excuse to get back at him for it. Earl tried staring Dean down but soon found out he couldn't, he could swear Dean didn't even blink. Even though he was a lot bigger then Dean he knew that a man with a reason to fight would be hard to defeat and shooting the man's brother was just that kind of reason, he finally turned and walked away.

Dean checked on Sam and was glad that he seemed to be sleeping peacefully; he then went back to checking his weapons making sure the guns were cleaned and ready to use when needed. It was then he heard a woman scream.

"My God they're trying to break in!"

Dean walked over and looked through the cracks in the boarded up windows and could see and hear some of the zombies pounding on them trying to break in. It was the first time he had seen them get that close to the diner. He could hear the windows shattering outside and could then hear the zombies pounding on the wooden planks that covered the broken windows.

He knew if they got in there was going to be a blood bath.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Still can't get into the reviews on the site to thank each one of you personally…… I miss that…..  Not sure if something is wrong with just me, or if no one can get into the reviews. Did they change something? Well anyway……. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter six

When the men were boarding up the windows Dean had told them to leave small spaces between some of the boards just in case something like this happened. He put his gun through one of the cracks and shot one of the zombies in the forehead. It immediately stopped in its tracks and then after a few seconds fell over. Dean knew it wouldn't be down for long but at least they could keep the zombies at bay for a short time….at least untill they ran out of bullets. Dean looked over at Rick and Earl who both were just standing there watching him.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot them! Aim for their heads!"

Earl and Rick both picked up their rifles and after finding spaces between the boards began picking off the zombies one by one. After a few minutes all of the zombies that they could see were lying motionless around the outside of the diner.

"Why don't we make a run for it while they're down?" Rick asked as he grabbed his jacket.

"Because we don't know how many of them are still out there." Dean answered as he tried to look around the parking lot. He had counted nine bodies lying outside and he could have sworn he saw more then that when he had gone out to his car before. He figured they were out there somewhere waiting.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm out of here!"

Before anyone could stop him Rick pushed aside the table that was blocking the door and ran outside.

There was nothing Dean could do but slam the door shut and shove the table back in place, he had to try and protect the others in the building including his brother.

"You got to try and stop him!" Cindy, the woman with the family, shouted as she ran to one of the windows and looked out through the cracks.

"Maybe he'll make it." Dean said as he watched Rick run toward the cars.

**Outside**

Rick had almost made it to the cars but three zombies came out from behind one of them and blocked his path.

"Get away from me!" Rick screamed as he fired at them.

The bullet hit the one zombie in the stomach and had no effect.

"Aim for their heads!" Dean shouted through the broken window, he could tell Rick was panicking and not thinking clearly. Rick knew a head shot was the only thing that would slow them down but in his fear he was firing indiscriminately and not aiming. Dean put his gun between the cracks in the wood and managed to bring one of them down before the other two grabbed Rick. Before Dean could get off another shot the zombies began tearing Rick apart. One bit his shoulder down to the bone then grabbed his arm and twisted it off. Rick's blood curdling scream was drowned out by the fierce howling wind outside. Soon he was surrounded by at least five other zombies who proceeded to rip his body to shreds. There was nothing anyone could do but turn away from the horrifying scene in front of them.

**The diner**

"Oh my God, is that what's going to happen to us?" Cindy asked as she pulled her two children closer to her.

"No….once the storm is over the cops will come by and take care of things." Dean said trying to ease the children's fears. He was glad when Sam moaned turning his attention back to his brother and away from the frightened woman and her kids.

"How long have I been out?" Sam asked when he saw Dean.

"About half an hour or so." Dean frowned when he saw beads of sweat on his brother's face and reached up to feel his forehead.

Sam pushed his hand away as he tried to stand up but ended up swaying and almost fell over but was caught by his brother before he did.

"Damn it Sammy you're burning up." He helped Sam over to a booth then gently removed his bandage. The area around the wound was red and felt warm to the touch. As cautious as he had been it appeared that infection had already set into the wound. Dean looked over at Rita. "I need some ice, my brother has a fever."

"I got a better idea. We have a large walk in freezer we can take him in there."

Dean grabbed a bunch of tablecloths for Sam to lie on then walked him over to the freezer. Rita opened the door and Dean helped Sam inside and over to a large open area. He put the tablecloths down on the floor then helped Sam lie down on them; he then knelt down next to him when Sam looked up at him.

"You don't have to stay here, I'll be okay, you got to go help them."

"I'll be back." Dean patted Sam on his shoulder then stood up and started to walk out of the freezer, he had to see what was going on outside. He had just taken a step outside the freezer when Cindy and her two children rushed past him screaming as they ran into the freezer.

"Oh my God they're getting in!" Cindy's voice echoed throughout the diner.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter seven

Dean could see the zombies breaking through the back kitchen door and entering into the diner. He stood in front of the open freezer and started picking them off one by one but there were too many of them. He was soon out of bullets and didn't have time to reload or to grab Sam's gun. He was just about to make a dash for the machete which lay on a nearby table when he noticed that the zombies were walking right by him as if they didn't even notice him, but they did notice Earl and the others. Then a thought came to Dean…. maybe the zombies weren't able to detect him because he was standing in the cold. The freezer was throwing cold air all around him and the zombies walked right passed him and headed toward the others in the diner whose body heat was like ringing the dinner bell to the zombies.

"Everybody into the freezer!" Dean yelled as he waited for the zombies to walk by him then made a quick dash to the table and picked up his machete and Sam's gun, plus a box of bullets.

Everyone made it to the freezer except the cook; the zombies had him surrounded and before Dean could do anything they began ripping him to shreds. Dean began firing at them and managed to take the majority of them down but it was too late for the cook. He lay dismembered in an ever widening pool of his own blood. Dean backed toward the freezer and once everyone was inside he pulled the door shut.

"We're all going to die aren't we?" Cindy's little boy asked as he hung onto his mother.

"No buddy, I promise you we're going to get out of this." Dean tried his best to reassure the boy as he wondered how he was going to keep that promise.

"How?" Earl spoke and Dean turned around and looked into his angry face. "How the hell are we going to get out of this?"

"Those things can't detect us in here."

"But we can't stay here forever, we'll freeze to death." Cindy said as she peeked out through the frosted windows and into the diner. The sight she saw made her gag. The zombies were ripping flesh off of the cook's body and carrying the pieces outside to feed on later.

"All of you need to think about what I asked you earlier. Does anyone here know of a Haitian living near the town or of any person with a Haitian background that might have a reason to want revenge on one of you?"

They looked back and forth amongst themselves but no one spoke.

Dean hoped that since the zombies went after Rick and killed him that he was the one they were looking for. But if it had been him then the zombies would have died right after killing him because their quest for revenge would have been over. But then they had killed the cook and they still were wondering around the diner as if looking for someone else. Dean figured that Rick and the cook and someone else must be the reasons the zombies were still out there. But who? Dean had a feeling it was probably Earl but there was no way to prove it.

"Those things out there are going to kill all of us unless one of you speak up."

Finally Cindy took a few steps toward Dean; she shook off her husbands hand as he tried to stop her.

"We're all responsible." She said with tears in her eyes. "An old woman was walking along the back road in all this rain and when she saw our car she got down on her knees and begged us to stop. We stopped at a stop sign and she came over to us and begged us to give her a lift home. You could tell she was poor, but you could also tell she was weak and tired; she shouldn't have been out in this storm. She was no threat to us…..but we did nothing…." Cindy looked over at her husband. "He wouldn't help her. We left her stranded alongside the road. About half an hour after we got here to the diner she walked in, someone must have given her a ride. She only asked for a cup of coffee, or a cup of soup….but the cook wouldn't serve her, she had no money." Cindy looked over at Rita who looked away. "Then he and his buddy came in…" She now looked over at Earl. "The woman got up to leave then tripped and fell in front of them and they didn't even help her up. They called her an old hag and told her to watch where she was walking. They then forced her back out into the storm." Cindy looked up at Dean. "She was an old woman who needed help and none of us would help her." She looked around at the group. "We're all responsible."

"Shut up Cindy!" Earl started walking toward her. "Just keep that big mouth of yours shut!"

Mike, Cindy's husband, intercepted him.

"Don't you talk to my wife like that!"

Dean quickly stepped between them.

"Don't you think we have enough to worry about without you two going at it?" He then looked around at the group. "Does anyone know where this woman lives?"

"She lives about a mile from here…on Sycamore Street, right off of Route thirty." One of the men spoke up.

"Where on Sycamore Street?" Dean knew streets could run for blocks and the odds of finding the woman's house weren't on his side.

"I have no idea. I'm not even sure if she still lives there."

Dean knew if what Cindy said about all of them treating the old woman badly she had probably put a curse on the entire group and the zombies wouldn't stop until they had killed them all. He knew he had to do something. He looked over at Earl.

"Since you're such a wise ass I say you and me go out back and try to distract those things so the rest of them can make it to the cars and get out of here. They can take my brother with them."

"What are you nuts? I'm not going out there! I'm not going to get myself killed to save them!"

"Does anyone have a better idea?" Dean looked around at the group.

At first no one said anything but then Earl spoke up.

"I do." Earl nodded toward Sam. "He's hurt….I say we toss him out back and when those things are chowing down on him we slip out the front."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter eight

"You make a move toward my brother and you're dead!" Dean stepped protectively in front of Sam.

"Dean he's right." Sam said as he tried to pull himself up to a sitting position but it was too painful and he was forced to lie back down. "If I can hold them off for awhile; maybe you can all make it out of here."

"No way!" Dean looked down at Sam. "Sam you can't even stand up by yourself, how the hell are you going to be able to stop them?"

"Then at least leave me behind. … Maybe they can make it to the cars if they don't have to drag me with them."

"I'm not leaving you here Sam so shut up." There was no way Dean was going to leave his brother behind.

Earl looked over at Dean.

"Why can't you just go by yourself? Why do I have to go?"

"Because two can distract those things better then one."

"Why me? Why not him?" Earl pointed toward Mike.

"Because he has a family and I don't see any ring on your finger."

"So you want me to risk my life just because I'm not married?"

"Because of that, and because you're a wise ass, but mostly because you shot my brother."

"I told you that was an accident."

"Accident! You can tell by the way those things move that they're not human. You could tell my brother wasn't one of them but you still shot him." Dean knew the man was scared and probably just fired at anything that moved, but if he had just paid attention he would have been able to tell that Sam wasn't one of those creatures.

"Well then let's take a vote." Earl looked at the others. "How many of you say we take his brother out back and while those things are busy with him we can get to our cars out front?"

Nearly everyone raised their hands. Dean looked at them in disbelief. He couldn't believe they were all willing to let a helpless man die so that they could live.

"No, no way…. He can't even defend himself…."

"And we can?" Earl interrupted him.

"We at least have a chance. Those things are slow; we just have to stay away from them. My brother just had a bullet taken out of him….he can't even walk by himself."

"Well I'm not going out there, they may be slow but there are too many of them."

"Then I'll go by myself."

"No!" Sam spoke up. "There are too many of them for just one guy to try to distract." Sam winced as he once more tried to pull himself up. "Dean he's right and we both know it. I can hold them off for awhile; it'll give you all time to get to your cars."

"Sam I'm not going to let those things chow down on you while…."

Earl suddenly brought his rifle up and pointed it at Dean.

"I got a better idea." Why don't you go find that hag that started all this and get rid of her?"

"That'll be almost impossible; he doesn't even have a street address. How's he supposed to find her?" Sam asked.

"That's his problem."

"There's no way I'm leaving my brother here with you." Dean glared at Earl.

"You don't have a choice."

"The hell I don't!" Dean started walking toward Earl but stopped when Earl turned the gun on Sam.

"I shot him once….I'll do it again."

Dean knew he meant it. As scared as Earl was Dean knew he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Sam if he refused. For a few seconds he thought about trying to wrestle the gun away from Earl but there were woman and children in the freezer and he couldn't take the chance that the rifle would go off and hit someone.

"Okay I'll try to find her." He knew he had no choice. "But my brother better be here and be alive when I get back or you're dead." Dean pointed his finger toward Earl. "And that's not a threat, that's a promise."

"What if you don't come back? We'll freeze to death in here." Cindy asked as she rubbed her children's arms trying to keep them warm.

"I'll be back, but if it gets too cold in here take turns outside the freezer, just keep an eye out for those things and if they come back in the diner then get back in the freezer as quick as you can. "

Dean knelt down next to Sam and felt his forehead, the cold from the freezer seemed to be doing its job, Sam's fever seemed to be easing up a little.

"Hang in there….I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Dean….be careful, those things are going to be all over you once you go out there."

"I will." Dean made a fist and tapped Sam's fist with his each hoping and praying that this wasn't the last time they'd see each other.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter nine

Dean walked over to the frosted freezer window and looked out into the diner, as far as he could tell the zombies had all gone back outside. He glanced back at Earl.

"You just make sure my brother is alive and well when I get back."

"Just make sure you take care of that old woman. I'll give you two hours and if you aren't back I'm putting your brother out back to feed those things and it will be every one for themselves."

"If my brother isn't here when I get back I swear you'll wish those things would have gotten to you before I did."

Dean meant every word, if his brother was hurt in anyway Earl was a dead man. Dean walked over and put Sam's gun next to him.

"Just in case."

They both knew his words had a double meaning…. The gun was to protect the others and himself, but it also might have to be used to end their lives if the zombies broke into the freezer. It would be far better to die from a single gunshot then to be ripped apart by the creatures.

With one last glance back at Sam Dean left the freezer and walked to the front door. He hoped that the coolness of his body would confuse the zombies long enough so that he could reach his car. He knew finding the woman responsible for the creatures would be like finding a needle in a haystack but he had to do it, the others were counting on him, and more important his brother was also.

Dean pulled the barricade away from the front door then slowly opened it and looked outside. He could see the zombies walking back and forth in the parking lot as debris blew all around them. He could also see some of them hanging around the back parking lot where he was parked. He had to think of someway to draw their attention away from the Impala. He knew the zombies zeroed in on heat, which was why they couldn't find them in the freezer, so he needed a heat source to draw them away from the car. He did the only thing he could think of to do; he poured cooking oil over a piece of broken plywood then lit it and tossed it out into the parking lot. The wind did just what he hoped it would do, it picked up the piece of wood and sailed it across the lot. The zombies sensing the change in temperature began following it. Dean knew he had to be quick, once the zombies realized the heat source wasn't human they'd be back. Keeping his gun tightly gripped in one hand and his car keys in the other he got down low and began running toward his car fighting the hurricane strength wind which was blowing toward him hindering his progress. He gave a quick glance toward where the plywood landed and saw that the heavy rain had just about put the fire out and the zombies were once more headed in his direction. For some reason the wind and rain had little affect on them and they were slowly inching closer. Using all the strength he had Dean fought the wind and finally made it to the car with the zombies right behind him. He opened the door and the wind immediately yanked it from his hands. Pulling with all his might, he finally got the door shut just as the creatures reached it. They began pounding on the glass determined to get to him but he shoved the key in the ignition and stepped on the accelerator. The Impala flew out of the parking lot while its owner fought to keep the car on the road and not allow it to get blown into the water filled ditches along side the road or into one of the many downed trees.

As he drove he pulled a map of the area out of the glove compartment. This was one time he was glad that Sammy cluttered his car up with maps of every area they were going to travel through. It took him a few seconds but he finally found Sycamore Street.

"Damn it!" He shouted as he realized how long it was going to take to search the whole street, from what the map looked like, the street ran for blocks.

There was nothing he could do…. he had to find her.

**A short time later - Sycamore Street**

Dean parked at the beginning of Sycamore Street and for a few seconds sat in his car as he looked in total helplessness at the rows of home before him. Most of the homes had been boarded up and the occupants long gone, most having left days before the storm hit. He knew it would take him hours to search each of the houses for people who might have tried to wait out the storm and were hiding behind the boarded up windows, but he knew he had to try, he didn't have a choice. He had to find the woman and kill her….it was the only way he knew to stop the zombies. Once she was dead the creatures would drop like flies. He got out of the car then went from door to door banging on the doors and windows of the homes praying someone would hear him and let him in. Maybe someone would know of the woman and be able to tell him where she lived.

**Later**

Dean glanced at his watch as he ran down the street; an hour and a half had already passed. He remembered Earl saying if he wasn't back in two hours he was going to put Sam out back while he and the others tried to escape out the front. He was torn about what to do…. keep looking for the woman, or head back to the diner and stop Earl. He knew the man was scared to death but he also knew if he had to kill Earl to save Sam he would. He was just about ready to turn back and head back to the diner when he saw an old run down house at the end of one of the streets and could see light coming from behind the boarded up windows. But what really attracted him were the strange markings on the outside walls of the house, it appeared to be some kind of language, Haitian maybe? Dean ran up to the door and began pounding on the door as he took out his gun.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter ten

"Hey! Anyone in there? We're here to evacuate you!" Dean shouted trying to make his voice heard over the roaring wind.

He leaned close to one of the boarded up windows and tried to get a look inside. The room was covered in lit candles and Dean could see strange figurines throughout the room. This had to be the place he thought, then over in the corner he saw her, a woman dressed in black with a black shawl around her, she sat rocking in an old rocking chair, a black cat on her lap. He took a few steps back then kicked the door in.

**Stetson's Diner**

About thirty minutes after Dean left the freezer lights started to blink and finally went out.

"Oh that's just great!" Earl said as he looked out through the glass into the dark diner. "How long before this thing defrosts?"

"It's been defrosting for the last few hours. The cooling system has been off ever since the storm started, only the lights stayed on." Rita told him. "It stayed cold for awhile but with all these people in here it's only a matter of time before our body heat warms up the place."

"And once that happens those things are going to be all over us." Mike voiced what everyone else was thinking.

Earl looked over at Sam, then walked over and picked up Sam's gun which was still lying where Dean had left it.

"You won't be needing this…. I think we're going to have to cut some of the time your brother has left. If he isn't back in fifteen minutes, you're going out back."

"We can't just turn him over to those things, they'll kill him." Cindy said as she looked toward her husband to back her up.

"We don't have a choice…it's either him or all of us."

**1333 Sycamore Street**.

Dean burst through the door and headed right for the woman, his gun firmly gripped in his hand. If killing this woman meant saving his brother he knew he'd do it. He had tried to protect Sam all his life and he wasn't about to stop now. He cautiously walked toward the woman who looked up at him ….and smiled. Dean stopped in his tracks; he wasn't expecting that kind of reaction.

"You're going to owe me a door young man."

"I knocked, you didn't open it."

"I never heard you."

Dean knew that could be true, the howling wind and pouring rain was deafening. He took a few steps closer; the woman didn't look at all like he thought she would. He had been expecting a witch like woman who barely spoke English; at least that's what he thought women who practiced black magic would look like. He glanced around the room and was certain the figurines and writing were Haitian; he had to have the right woman. It was then the woman noticed the gun in his hand.

"Are you going to rob me?"

"No…um….." Dean lowered the gun a little but still kept it ready incase he needed it. The woman seemed so ordinary and he wasn't sure if she was trying to trick him or if she had nothing to do with the zombie curse.

"Then why come here with a gun? I have nothing to steal."

"What do you know about zombies?" Dean figured he'd come right out and ask her, he didn't have time to play games.

"Zombies?" The woman actually seemed surprise. "Just because I was born in Haiti doesn't mean I have any knowledge of zombies. Why do you want to know?"

"Because there are zombies attacking people in a diner out on route thirty." Dean knew if the woman really was innocent she'd probably think he was nuts, but then he saw something in her eyes that made him bring the gun back up. He could tell she knew something.

**Stetson's Diner**

"It's getting warmer in here." Earl said as he walked over to the thermostat and saw that the temperature inside the freezer had risen significantly. He then looked over at Sam. "Sorry kid, but it looks like your time is up."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter eleven

"At least let him have his gun." Cindy spoke up when she saw what was happening. She didn't like what they were going to do but she had to protect her children and if by sacrificing this man to those creatures would save her kids then she wasn't about to object, but she did object to him going out back completely defenseless.

"No. If he starts popping those things off with a gun they might forget about him and turn on us….This kid needs to keep those things away from us long enough for us all to get to our cars and get the hell out of here." Earl reached down and pulled Sam to his feet. Sam gave a little yelp of pain as he felt his stitches pop with the sudden movement. A small stream of blood began running out of the wound and soon his bandaged side was red with blood.

"He's bleeding again." Robby, one of Cindy's kids pointed out.

"Don't worry, he won't feel a thing soon." Earl knew that as soon as the zombies got hold of Sam his bleeding side would be the least of his worries.

Sam didn't put up any resistance, he didn't mind dying so that these people could live, but what he didn't like was that this man so willingly would let someone die so he could live.

"Let's go." Earl opened the freezer door and began leading Sam to the rear kitchen door.

**1333 Sycamore Street**

"You know about the zombies don't you?" Dean asked the woman. When she didn't say anything he continued. "When I mentioned the zombies and the diner I saw something flash in your eyes. You sent them didn't you?"

The woman looked down but didn't say anything.

Dean knew the only way to save the others plus his brother was to kill the person who created the creatures. He raised his gun but hesitated, he had to be sure.

"I know what they did to you. I know how you needed help and no one would help you. You have a right to be angry ….. but you shouldn't have…."

The woman once more looked up.

"I didn't."

"Then who?"

The woman shook her head sadly and when she looked at him he could see tears in her eyes. He swallowed hard, how was he going to shoot a woman who was crying?

**Stetson's Diner **

Earl opened the kitchen door which led to a back alley then shoved Sam out into the storm. The wind immediately whipped at Sam's body and between the wind and his injury he found it impossible to stand upright. He bent over, his hand pressed against his injured side, he had to try to find some shelter from the storm, but before he could Earl stepped out into the alley and kicked his legs out from under him then delivered a vicious kick to his stomach. Pain shot through Sam's wound as he fell to the ground and curled into a ball.

"You ain't going nowhere buddy." Earl didn't want Sam wandering off; he needed him right there as bait for the creatures so he and the others could escape out the front. "Too bad for you your brother didn't make it back." Earl said as he shut the door then put a heavy cabinet in front of it.

'_Too bad for you your brother didn't make it back'_….. The words kept repeating in Sam's mind. Where was Dean? Had something happened to him? Did one of those things get him? Maybe he was in an accident, there were trees falling down everywhere and maybe one of them fell on him. Sam winced in pain as he rolled onto his back and lay on the ground looking up into the sky. He was lying in a ditch in the ground and could feel the water slowly rising up around his head, but he was too weak to do anything about it. He thought how odd it would be if he ended up drowning in a few inches of water. Here he was a hunter of monsters and demons and he ends up drowning in a puddle. He allowed himself a small smile as he lay there…What would Dean think? He said a brief prayer that his brother was okay and wouldn't be too torn up about his death. He always wanted to die helping people and if that was what was going to happen then so be it. He knew Dean hadn't killed the creator of the zombies because he could see a few of them wandering aimlessly around in the distance and he also knew it would take awhile before his body temperature rose high enough to attract them. If only Earl had left him have his gun, he could have at least held the creatures off for awhile and maybe Dean would make it back in time, but now without it he was as helpless as a baby. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it but hope it would be over with quickly.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter twelve

**1333 Sycamore Street**

"Lady I don't have much time, if you're protecting someone I need to know."

The woman sat for a few seconds in silence, she then gently pushed the cat from her lap and stood up.

"You must take me there, to the diner."

Was the woman actually going to help him or was it a trick, Dean had no idea, but he knew he didn't have time to try and figure it out. He lowered his gun and took the woman by the arm. "Let's go."

**Outside**

The wind threatened to pull the woman from his grasp but he held on to her and soon they were in the car. Dean glanced over at the woman as he drove.

"I need you to tell me what's going on. Those things are going to kill everyone in that diner including my brother if you don't help me stop them."

The woman sat with her head down as if in prayer, then slowly reached up and pulled out a small chain that was hidden beneath her blouse and kissed the gold cross that hung from it.

"It is my daughter you seek."

"Daughter?"

"She works in the diner, her name is Rita."

"Rita!" Dean studied the woman closely and could now see the slight resemblance. "Why?"

"I had Rita when I was fourteen and living in Haiti. We were very poor but my mother married a wealthy man who took us to America. I grew up away from the Haitian ways but my mother still held onto them. I was too young to care for a child so my mother raised Rita and taught her the ways of the old country. She herself still practiced voodoo and handed the rituals down to my daughter." The old woman wiped at her tears. "I had no say in the matter, I was too poor to try and get her back. Rita saw me that day at the diner and she wanted revenge for the way I was treated."

"Is there anyway to stop those things without….?" Dean hesitated, he didn't want to mention killing the woman's daughter but that was the only way he knew to destroy the creatures.

"The only way to destroy black magic is to kill the source; otherwise the zombies will kill everyone they were created to kill, and anyone who tries to stop them."

Dean swallowed hard; the woman was actually telling him he'd have to kill her daughter.

"I'm sorry." He said truthfully.

"You must do what you must do."

**Stetson's Diner**

Sam lay on the ground wet and cold as debris blew by him. He knew he should try to get up and seek shelter but every movement caused a sharp pain to shoot through his side. He rolled his head slightly to the right and could see that the water he was lying in had turned red with his blood. He silently hoped that maybe he would bleed to death before the zombies got to him, that way at least he wouldn't feel the pain of being ripped to pieces by them. It was then he heard screaming coming from the front of the diner. Apparently the creatures were ignoring him and going after the others as they tried to leave by the front exit. Why was that he wondered? He could tell his body temperature had warmed up and the creatures should be all around him since he was the first to leave the diner but instead they had waited out front for the others. After hearing another blood curdling scream Sam knew he had to somehow help them. He painfully pulled himself from the ever deepening puddle and began crawling toward the front of the diner. He wouldn't be much use without a weapon but maybe he could draw the zombies' attention away from the others and onto himself.

**The Impala**

Dean glanced over at the woman as he drove. He couldn't believe he was sitting next to a woman whose daughter he was going to have to kill most likely right in front of her.

"There's no way other way to stop them?"

The woman shook her head.

"The zombies will kill everyone who insulted me that is the way it works. Once a curse is started it can only be over when the zombies have done their job, or their creator is destroyed."

Maybe Sam would be safe Dean thought, he hadn't insulted the old woman so maybe the zombies wouldn't go after him.

"My brother wasn't there when you came to the diner. He didn't insult you…. so does that mean he is safe?"

"Your brother is safe as long as he doesn't interfere."

Dean took the corner on two wheels. He knew there was no way Sam would sit back and watch the carnage; he knew his brother would do anything he could to try to save at least some of them.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

This is the final chapter. Thanks to all who took the time to review.

Nightmare on Route Thirty

Chapter thirteen

Sam continued crawling toward the front of the building, standing was impossible due to the strong winds and his weakened condition. The terrifying screams of the patrons of the diner grew louder and louder the closer he got to the front of the diner. In the distance he could see Cindy running for her car dragging her two children behind her. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her reach the car, jump inside, and pull her children in behind her. She quickly pulled the door shut and locked it. At least she and her kids were safe, at least for now. He hoped he'd see her pull away from the diner but she didn't. As he got closer he could see her frantically looking in her purse, probably for her keys. When she couldn't find them she rolled down the window a little and shouted frantically to her husband.

"Mike! I can't find the keys!" She quickly rolled the window back up when her voice seemed to draw the zombies' attention toward her.

Sam looked over to where Mike was hiding behind a trash bin shooting at the zombies with Rick's rifle. He watched as zombie after zombie fell only to be back on its feet in less than a minute. He knew there was no way to kill them unless Dean could find and kill the creator and it didn't look like that was going to happen. Sam then looked over to where Earl was standing in the doorway of the diner. Earl also was shooting at the creatures and Sam could see his own gun tucked inside Earl's jacket. He painfully pulled himself up to a standing position and moved slowly toward Earl, he had to get his gun, it was the only way he could protect these people.

"Give me my gun!" Sam shouted to him as he made his way toward him.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the back! Why aren't those things coming after you?" Earl looked suspiciously at Sam; he had put him out back at least twenty minutes ago, long enough for the zombies to zero in on him, but instead of attacking Sam the zombies were coming after him and the others.

"Give me my gun….I can help."

"You and your brother brought those things here didn't you?" Earl pointed the gun towards Sam. "I never even thought those things were possible until you two showed up."

"You heard what that girl said….. all of you are responsible for them. We just happened to walk in on them…..Now give me the gun….I can help…..I can try to hold them off long enough for you to make it to the cars." Sam watched as Rita, who was still in the diner, walked up behind Earl. "You got to try and make it to the cars." He warned both of them as he got closer. "Let me help you." Sam stood in front of Earl with his hand outstretched. He knew by keeping the creatures off of them he would more then likely die, but that was what he and his brother did, they risked their lives trying to save as many people as they could, and he wasn't about to stop now.

There was no way Earl was going to turn the gun over to the man he had shot. Instead of handing Sam his gun he kicked his leg out and connected with Sam's stomach. Sam doubled over in pain as he felt his stitches pop and blood began pouring down his side. He staggered away from Earl as he tried to catch the breath.

"You want to help us? Then get out there and let those things feed on you!" Earl figured if the creatures started to attack Sam it would give him time to reach the cars while their attention was focused on him. Earl once more pointed his rifle at Sam, if he could just take him down he'd be totally helpless and there would be no way he could defend himself against the zombies. He pointed his gun at Sam's leg; a shot to the knee should do it. He was just about to pull the trigger but ended up jumping back in surprise when the Impala suddenly skidded between him and Sam. Dean immediately jumped out of the car and after shooting the nearby zombies in the head went to his brother's side.

"Sammy?" He checked Sam's side then glared over at Earl. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He panicked, and tried to grab my gun." Earl tried to explain.

"The hell he did!" Dean knew Earl had been the one to panic, not his brother.

Earl then saw the old woman in Dean's car.

"You found her! Why didn't you kill her?"

Dean ignored him as he continued tending to his brother.

The old woman saw her daughter Rita still standing in the doorway of the diner and started to get out of her car. When she started walking toward the diner Earl panicked and fired a shot into her stomach. She cried out in pain then grabbed her stomach and fell in a heap at his feet.

"Nooooo!" Dean jumped up and after grabbing the rifle out of Earl's hands knelt by the woman's side. As gently as he could he looked at the woman's wound. From the blood loss and the location of the wound he knew it was a fatal shot. He glared up at Earl. "She isn't the one you stupid idiot!"

"Mama!" Rita screamed as she pushed past Earl and ran to her mother.

"My sweet girl…." Rita reached up and touched her daughter's cheek.

Rita spun around her eyes full of hate.

"Get him!" She screamed. A second later the entire group of zombies began ignoring the others and began moving as one toward Earl, but to get past Earl they'd have to walk by Sam. Dean ran back to his brother and quickly pulled him into the safety of the back seat of the car. Dean started to get out of the car but Sam grabbed his arm.

"Get my gun…. I can help."

"You can help by staying right here." Dean quickly slammed the car door behind him shutting off any argument from Sam.

Sam was already injured and Dean wasn't about to take the chance of him getting hurt even more, or worse, killed.

Earl's eyes were wide with terror when he saw the entire group of zombies heading in his direction. He began shooting indiscriminately not even bothering to aim for their heads. Dean quickly stepped in front of him and began picking the zombies off one by one but there were too many of them. He grunted in pain when one of the creatures picked him up and tossed him away as it tried to get at Earl. Dean glanced over at Rita who was now standing in front of her mother her arms out at her sides, the wind whipping at her dress and hair. He pointed the gun at her but hesitated, how could he kill the girl in front of her mother? He knew he had no choice. He swallowed hard and was about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden the girl's mouth opened in a silent scream and within seconds a red stain began spreading on the front of her dress. She slid slowly to the ground and Dean could now see her mother kneeling behind her holding a long bloody knife. The old woman immediately dropped the knife as she collapsed next to her daughter. Dean hurried over to them and knelt down next to them. Rita was obviously dead; the knife had penetrated her back and went into her heart. She lay next to her mother, her dead eyes staring up at nothing. As soon as she died the zombies began dropping one by one, their creator now dead, their mission over. The old woman reached over and gently smoothed her daughter's hair then looked up at Dean.

"I now have my daughter back." She said as she gave him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry….I'm sorry it had to end like this." Dean blinked back tears. Was this the way it was going to end for him and Sam? Would he have to kill his brother one day just like his father had warned him? If Sam turned evil would he be able to do it? A single tear ran down his face as he watched the old woman close her eyes and her head loll to the side as she died next to her daughter.

After a few seconds Dean walked over to Earl and took Sam's gun from him.

"It's over."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, just like that." Dean started walking back to the car. Now that it was over with all he wanted to do was find a motel and check out Sam's wound, he could tell it needed to be stitched again. He hoped Sam didn't need to go to the hospital because it was an obvious bullet wound and the hospital would notify the cops and get them involved, and cops were something they always tried to avoid. But if his brother's injury had gotten worse he'd have to take him, he'd have no choice, they'd just have to think of something to tell the cops.

"Well I guess I should thank you." Earl started to follow Dean, relieved that he and some of the others made it out alive.

Without saying a word Dean spun around and floored Earl with a hard punch to his jaw.

"That's for using my brother as bait."

Earl had also shot his brother and even though Dean would love to beat the crap out of him he could forgive him for that, after all the man was terrified and panicked. But what Dean couldn't forgive him for was using Sam as bait so that he could escape, that was unforgivable.

Dean looked over at Cindy's car and could see that Mike had already jumped in it and he and his family were already speeding out of the parking lot swerving around the debris that covered the street. Dean opened the back door to the Impala and thoroughly checked Sam out. As far as he could tell Sam's fever was down but most of the stitches in his wound had popped open, it should just be a simple task of stitching him back up then keeping an eye on him to make sure the fever didn't come back. He took a blanket out of the trunk and covered his brother up with it then climbed in the driver's seat.

"It was the waitress?....She's the one who started this?" Sam asked from the back seat.

"Yeah……Her mother had nothing to do with it." Dean said softly as he looked down at the two bodies. "She didn't have to die; she came with me to help."

Dean then looked over at Earl who was struggling to his feet as he rubbed his jaw.

"What am I suppose to tell the cops?" Earl asked. "They're going to ask where all these bodies came from." Earl looked around at the bodies that littered the parking lot.

"You'll think of something." Dean told him as he pulled out of the lot glad to be back on the road and leaving the town behind them.

"Looks like the storms breaking up." Sam said as he looked out the window at the clearing sky.

"Yeah, might turn out to be a nice day." Dean looked in his rear view mirror and could see police cars in the distance. He allowed himself a small smile when he saw them pull into the diner's parking lot and watched as two cops got out and walk over to Earl. "Karma's a bitch." He said softly.

"What?"

"Nothing…just get some rest. ...I'll try to find an open motel outside of town and check out your wound, then tomorrow we'll head for Bobby's." Dean turned the radio on then leaned back and finally began to relax. Everything was going to be fine, he had all he needed right there with him….his brother, his car, and his music. He didn't need anything else.

The End


End file.
